Headlines related to this story have been blipping across my news searches for a week now, and I never bothered to click on them until today. It’s actually an interesting story which raises a lot of questions regarding restoration of historic buildings

What to do with the Baltimore Basilica’s windows?

Here’s the deal: There is an effort on to restore the Basilica of the Assumption back to the way it was designed and built by the architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, under the direction of Archbishop John Carroll, which was, apparently very spare, in the Federal style (I’m thinking it’s probably much like the old Cathedral in St. Louis, the one near the arch. White walls, hardly any art.) The stained glass windows, classic and beautiful weren’t installed until 1946. What to do with them? Some say they should be removed and used in another church being built (that’s been designed with the use of the windows in mind) and some say they should stay:

John Murphy, a Baltimore attorney who is leading the effort to block removal of the windows, contends that they shouldn’t be taken out because they represent a significant period in the history of the cathedral and the archdiocese – the tenure of Archbishop Michael Curley. Murphy argues that the architects should attempt to save and celebrate many layers of the building’s history, not attempt to take it back to any one period.

That position is contrary to the view of the historic trust, whose directors believe restoring the cathedral to the appearance intended by Latrobe and Carroll would make it more significant internationally. They say the stained glass windows must be replaced with clear glass if the basilica is to regain its original aesthetic and historical integrity.

Another alternative was to display them on the Basilica grounds in some other context – a museum type of display. I have no dog in the fight, nor am I any kind of expert, but I am tired of the museum-ification of Church art and architectural artifacts. If they’re not going to be used in the restoration, put them in another church, I say.